Playground Pictures

It has gotten gorgeous here again (although it is supposed to quickly go from gorgeous to hot and gross this weekend) and so yesterday evening Joe and I went home right after my class so we could squeeze in some time to take Nicholas to the playground before dinner.

He was a giggle-monster while swinging and playing on this bouncy thing I don't have a name for. Sorry, but I was too busy playing with him at those moments to take pictures. But then he and Joe walked around the playground a little just checking things out and I broke out the camera. Here are a few shots:

Looking serious and taking it all in

From 2010 April

Just being Nicholas

From 2010 April

And, just for fun, an artsy shot I like:

From 2010 April

Wordless Wednesday: Peekaboo

From 2010 April

From 2010 April

There are a few more new pictures here, which pretty well capture his favorite activities this week, as well as the fact that he is constantly saying "ahahahahah."

11-month update

Joe is probably better equipped to write this post than I am, because (as I'm sure you have all picked up by now) he has spent a lot more time with Nicholas this month than I have. But as we have now passed off the primary parent baton and Joe is diligently working, I'll give it a go.

• Nicholas can now take 5 or 6 unassisted steps, but he prefers to cruise or walk holding an adult's hand. But man has he become a speedy and skilled cruiser. I am amazed at the obstacles he figures out how to get around without letting go of furniture.
• He has finally discovered his knees, and so can pull up to standing, as well as go from standing to sitting. Sometimes he holds onto his chair and just goes back and forth between sitting and standing for fun. It looks like he is doing squats. The addition of this skill has made him very mobile because if you leave him in the middle of the room sitting, he can go to his tummy, crawl to the couch, pull to standing, and walk into the dining room by holding onto furniture. The first time he made it in I did a double take.
• Nicholas is obsessed with anything that rolls. Balls, cars, trucks, etc. He loves pushing trucks around, "throwing" a ball back to you, and (his favorite of all) kicking a ball around the house while chasing after it (holding an adult's hands, of course). Our apartment is small and currently extremely cluttered, so "soccer" often requires crawling, as the ball ends up under things.
• Mealtimes are the only real problem times at our house. Nicholas is great about bedtime, diaper changes, going to daycare, etc (all with a big "knock on wood"), but meals are a battle. He doesn't want to eat anything other than jarred food, french fries, and graham crackers. He likes a host of other foods and happily eats 2 or 3 bites, but after 3 bites, he is done and insists that it is time for a jar. He also has two habits at dinner that he knows are forbidden but likes to test us on--throwing food off his tray and banging his tray. We can tell he knows he isn't supposed to do it, because he looks at us while contemplating and watches us carefully the whole time, checking our reaction.
• He still loves looking at pictures. And he has started saying "mamamamamama" when he sits and looks through his album. I am in quite a few of the pictures, so is he actually making the connection? Or does he think that is the word for picture? Who knows?
• His coordination is pretty impressive. He feeds himself pretty well with a fork (when we've put the food on it), can put objects in his mailbox or in his toy cups, sometimes plays a note at a time on his little piano, and a couple times even balanced a little ball on top of the toys it came with.

I'm sure that isn't a complete update, but it is the highlights. Also this month he had his first ear infection (and accompanying first fever) and got his seventh tooth.

The Daddy Bubble

On the NJSE (Nicholas John Stock Exchange), my stock (symbol: DAD) has risen fast.  It's doubled or tripled in value in just over a week.  Jim Cramer is on TV, yelling and screaming that DAD is still a good value, and you should buy, buy, BUY!

In other words, I'm AOL circa 1999.  I'm fairly ubiquitous: Sarah (symbol: MOM) was trying to finish her dissertation this weekend, so I was the primary parent on duty.  (Though with a caveat and a special shout-out to Grandma Kathleen, who did yeoman's work taking care of Nicholas on Sunday and Monday so that I could get some work done too.)  I provide a reasonably understandable service.  And I'm hot on the market.  But when pressed, no one could really explain why I should be worth so much more than MOM, the reliable old-school service that a few traders seem to have shorted down to pennies on the dollar.

Because of all the swirling activity of the past few days, Nicholas prefers me over Sarah.  Just digest that for a moment.  What child, having been sick, would willfully choose its father over its mother?  Especially when Dad isn't exactly the cuddly, warm-fuzzy type (I know, I know, it's a shock to all of you).  It's kind of a strange feeling, really, since it's not something I would expect, even from the ever-counterintuitive Nicholas.  I thought he'd prefer me for certain fun things, playing ball, that sort of stuff.  But never for comfort.  Now, I don't mind, of course.  I like that he finds me a comforting presence in his life.  I just never expected that yesterday, while in Sarah's arms, he would reach out for me, and once I took him, for him to suck his thumb and lean his head against me.

So I'll enjoy it while it lasts.  Because just like AOL, the bubble will burst, all too soon.

Back in Business

First, this entire post will be prefaced by an enormously superstitious "knock on wood."

That said, Nicholas seems to be feeling much better this morning.  He woke up perky, smiling, energized, and happy, none of which he had been for the past four days.  We took his temperature, and he checked in at 98.1.

And off to daycare he went, quite happily.

Because amoxicillin in liquid form is quite tasty (Sarah keeps making me nervous by reminiscing about how good it was when she was sick as a kid), Nicholas has had no trouble taking it, in fact seems eager (more nervousness).  So hopefully that kicking in has solved the ear infection problem, and for now he's back up and running, and seems to be on the mend.

Though he did make sure that both Daddy and Mommy caught his cold before he started back on the right track.  Thanks, buddy.

Medical Update

I took Nicholas to the doctor this morning, which he handled mostly well (the stethoscope may have been cold, which caused a bit of baby-panic).  The doctor took one look at Nicholas's left ear and declared the he has an ear infection.  Did he have one on Thursday when the fever started?  We don't know, so it's possible he also caught a virus of some sort, for which the treatment is TLC and time.  But the ear infection we can treat, so Nicholas will be on antibiotics for the next ten days, and hopefully will start feeling better as soon as tomorrow.

The only unfortunate part is that this is probably only the first of what will likely by many ear infections, since both of his parents had them in abundance as small children.  On the whole, though, we made it almost eleven months without having to take Nicholas to the doctor for a sick visit, so our record is still pretty strong.

A Little Feverish

This week, we've learned that taking care of a sick baby is hard work.

On Thursday, we got a call from the day care center to come pick up Nicholas because he had a bit of a fever and was not acting like himself.  When the teacher put him down for his morning nap, he screamed and cried, and as she put it, "he never cries!"  So I went to get him (Sarah had student meetings all afternoon) and as soon as I took him from the teacher, he put his head on my shoulder.

Fire alarms went off in my head.  He never snuggles.

Of course, he also looked terrible, pale, drawn.  He was totally lethargic.

When we got home, I put on some TV, and just let him sit in my lap.  After a dose of Tylenol, he fell asleep there for a nap, which he hasn't done since he was about four weeks old.

Anyway, so he has had a mild fever since Thursday, running in the range of 100-102 degrees when the medicine wears off.  So nothing good, but not so bad that the doctor wants to see him (that's at 104 degrees of four days, so if he's still feverish on Monday, in we go).  He hasn't had any other symptoms, so it's not entirely clear what's wrong, but babies get fevers, and it's the body's way of trying to deal with something that when it can't figure out what else to do.  Could be the tooth he's getting, could be a virus, could be roseola ... well, what's your guess?  It's as good as ours.

He's been doing pretty well considering.  Except for Thursday when it first hit, he's been in relatively good spirits, and as long as we manage his fever with Tylenol or Motrin, he's been playing and having a good time.  And today he was down to 98.1, though the medicine may have still been in effect, but that means it's at least working really well, and his hands felt cool instead of hot and clammy.  So maybe, maybe a little progress.

And here's hoping he'll be back to normal tomorrow so we can take him to daycare (where he'd rather be) than the doctor on Monday morning.

Look Who's Walking

From 2010 April

As I mentioned the other day, Nicholas has suddenly decided that he can walk. And, as you can see in the above video, he is actually starting to get pretty good at it. He is definitely not a proficient walker by any stretch, but I think he is now officially "walking." Ahhhhh!

For a video that pretty accurately captures what Nicholas' playtime now looks like, click here. I love the excited look he gets when he decides he is going to let go of something and walk. You can see the anticipation! And he is so proud of himself.

Wordless Wednesday: Growing Up Fast

From 2010 April

A Little Too Brave

Our little experiment last weekend apparently convinced Nicholas that he is able to walk on his own. The problem is, he isn't really.

He still sometimes does his rock-climbing thing, cruising around from one object to another looking for good holds. But sometimes he just lets go and tries to walk. The problem is that he does this without warning and makes it between 2 and 6 steps before falling. And he doesn't fall onto his butt or hands like a normal child. Oh no, that would require bending, which he has never been so good at. Instead he just goes splat.

But he is getting close! We went to get him at daycare today and he turned when he saw us, let go of the things he was holding onto, and walked the few steps to me very steadily. And he is so excited by this development. He just wants to walk! According to his daycare teacher, he spent most of the day on his feet, cruising, playing while holding onto toys you can stand at, walking to people--he didn't want to sit down.

Our peace has already been somewhat shattered because I suddenly feel like I can't leave him alone standing and playing because I don't trust him not to let go anymore. And I have this sneaking suspicion that when he gets a little steadier he will quickly go from insisting on holding our hands constantly to refusing to let us hold his hands. This should make going places outside interesting. Yikes!

And, no, sorry, but no video. I thought I had turned the camera on while he was playing this evening and walking the 4 or 5 steps to and from the toy he wanted on the couch, but apparently I didn't hit the button hard enough. Believe me, I am at least as disappointed as you are.

Historical Torture

Today, in case you haven't checked your calendars yet, is Thomas Jefferson's 267th birthday (born April 13, 1743).  So how are we celebrating?  Nicholas is wearing his Declaration of Independence t-shirt, of course!

From 2010 April

First, I will note that I did not actually purchase this shirt—for that, thanks go to Uncle Patrick. Second, I will note for any grandmothers who read the blog (Nicholas's or otherwise) that he is also wearing a sweatshirt today, because it is a bit chilly here in Baltimore.

The shirt, by the way, has an image of the original Declaration of Independence, not that ink-stained facsimile they show off in the National Archives. The printer John Dunlap was commissioned to print 200 broadsides of the Declaration on the evening of July 4, which bore the signatures only of John Hancock and Charles Thomson, secretary to the Continental Congress. The broadsides circulated throughout the colonies (and to England!) to announce independence. A Dunlap broadside was used to read the Declaration in New York City to the Continental Army, in Boston at the old State House from a balcony that overlooked the spot of the Boston Massacre, and elsewhere. There are now only twenty-five remaining, so far as we know, though every once in a while a new one is found.

And just to confirm: indeed, there is no depth too low for me to stoop to sneak history into either my child's life or this blog.

Spring Day at the Park

It was a beautiful spring day and for the first time in forever I wasn't working, so Nicholas and I had a wonderful afternoon out at parks.

First we went to the tulip garden because I've been wanting to get a picture of him there while the tulips were out. Also, it was a chance for me to make my yearly pilgrimage to see the tulips. There were no great pictures--in part because my options were limited since I was alone with him and in part because I just sort of forgot to move around to get different angles. But I have pictures of Nicholas at the tulip garden in front of tulips, so mission accomplished. It is just fitting somehow.

From 2010 April

From 2010 April

Then we met up with Alice (and Katie and Wes) at the playground near their house and the kids had a blast swinging, playing with the ball, and crawling/walking around the rest of the play equipment. Nicholas absolutely loved the swing this time--apparently it just took a few times before he got used to swinging. He was all laughs!

From 2010 April

Watching them together makes it really hit home just how old they are getting. They really aren't babies anymore.

From 2010 April

For more pictures of our beautiful spring day, see here.

Separation Anxiety ... But Not Who You Think

One of the things we'd heard when Nicholas was starting daycare was that the kids sometimes find long weekends hard.  They get out of their routines, and get used to being around mommy and daddy (and in this case, that's a good thing), and forget about their life in daycare.  When you take them back after three or four days off, they regress, and begin resisting again.

Well, we had a four-day weekend last week, partly because of my parents' visit, and partly because the daycare center was closed on Easter Monday.  So Nicholas went back Tuesday (and has started going every day for April), and seems to have had no trouble re-adjusting.  Really, I'd give a lot of money to know his thoughts about life in general, but from what we can glean from a ten-month-old's signals, he loves it there.  I had actually figured that he would not be anxious, but would be much happier getting back to his routine.

So him I'm not surprised about.  But me?  That's a different story.  Out of the blue on Wednesday morning, I was hit with pangs of "wait a minute—I haven't played with Nicholas in TWO DAYS!"  I had gotten used to him, it seems.  Four days in a row of full-time child care, including lots and lots of playtime, seems to have had its effect on me.  Now, of course, if I didn't work we'd have all sorts of other problems (the reasons why I would make a bad stay-at-home parent could fill a very boring but long book).  But it's kind of strange to be sitting at your desk and realize that you'd rather be home playing with blocks.

One Small and/or Tentative Step (Really a Fall)

Sometimes we just enjoy toying with Nicholas.  Over the past several weeks, he's started showing definite signs of walking under his own power (what we've called in previous posts the "Wile E. Coyote" syndrome ... he's fine until he realizes he's not holding on).

So this weekend we decided to give him a shot and see what he could do.  And right after he did it, Sarah got out the camera to see if we could get a video.  Unfortunately, that means that this wasn't his best few steps.  He was starting to get tired, and he had decided it was a fun game to fall backwards and have Mommy or Daddy catch him.  Anyway, he's starting to get close to being able to walk: take a look!

From Nicholas - Month 5

Monday Miscellany

Our daycare center is wonderful in many ways.  Unfortunately, being open on Easter Monday is not one of them.  So, since my dissertation isn't due this week, I'm with Nicholas today, and we're having a blast, of sorts.  Some brief, bullet-point notes:

• When you're at the grocery store with a ten-month-old, it's very cruel to stand in the baby food aisle trying to figure out which ones to buy, and not give the ten-month-old anything to eat.  At least that's what I think Nicholas was trying to tell me through the tears and bawling while I re-read the coupon to make sure I'd gotten the right things.
• Nicholas has gotten to a stage where he seems to want to eat what we have ... except he doesn't actually.  While feeding him lunch, he kept looking at my turkey sandwich as if he could have a bite.  Now, I guess in theory he could have a turkey sandwich, but it was way too big for him to eat, and I'd made it on toast, which is hard to bite down on.  Also, he was doing this while I was trying to feed him his yogurt, which for a baby is candy.  In any event, the general trend has made feeding a little more difficult.  Toddler years, here we come!
• Nicholas and I watched just a few minutes of the first baseball games of the year this afternoon.  And Nicholas apparently finds the Star-Spangled Banner as entrancing as the West Wing theme.
• This afternoon we went to a nearby park to have some outdoors time, given the extreme heat 'round these parts.  As usual, Nicholas spent most of the time watching or following the bigger kids, but he always looks interested.  And he did get on a little play car, which he studied very carefully  (as evidenced by the furrowed brow) but enjoyed (as evidenced by the fact that he wasn't crying).
• Photo!

From 2010 April

Now he's off taking a nap, which means I should try to be productive.  This will involve convincing myself that watching a baseball quadrupleheader on ESPN is a bad idea.  Should be loads of fun.

A North Wind

We had a visit this weekend from my parents and brother from New York (i.e., Grandma Alice, Grandpa Richard, and Uncle Patrick), so Nicholas got a lot of quality family time.

Unfortunately, his initial reaction was ... well, less than stellar.  He has figured out now that when new people show up at our door, it often means that we're about to leave him at home and go somewhere.  Needless to say, that makes the new people rather unpopular, usually to the tune of bawling and becoming very clingy (which he's not on a day-to-day basis).  But he warmed up and had a great time with new playmates who have all sorts of different games from what he usually gets to play.

Friday we took a ride down into DC to enjoy the beautiful weather and check out the cherry blossoms.  We had quite the fun time walking around the Lincoln Memorial side of the Mall, wandering through Foggy Bottom, and just plain old enjoying the spring weather.  Nicholas, on the other hand, managed to sleep through much of it, which led to a series of photos reminiscent of Weekend at Bernie's:

From 2010 April

On the bright side (no pun intended), Nicholas finally took to wearing his new sunglasses, which should help keep him from squinting a lot:

From 2010 April

Then today, of course, we celebrated Easter with Sarah's parents and cousin.  Nicholas got his first Easter basket, we got lots of candy (thanks Mom!), and we enjoyed a fantastic meal.  This week's going to be crazy, so it was very rejuvenating to have a nice, relatively relaxed holiday.  There are, as always, more photos in the Peanut Gallery, but I'll leave you with our "Easter Family Portrait" for this year, since we all got dressed up—and got Nicholas in a springtime argyle sweater vest!

From 2010 April

A little too subtle ...

Sometimes, we're all a little too good at what we do.  I may have done that yesterday when I attempted to convince you all that Sarah and I had taken postdocs in the Netherlands.

The Grasmaand Dwaas Institute is, of course, fictitious, since the word Grasmaand is "April," and Dwaas is ... yes, "Fool."

So to make sure I'm perfectly clear: we are not moving to Amsterdam, and we are not going to be resident scholars at the April Fool's Institute.  Though given that I actually got a few people, I might have more career prospects at that kind of Institute at this point.  Hmm ... food for thought.

Marketing Gone Wild

If the Census Bureau had access to the same tools that marketers and advertisers did, we'd know everything we need to know about the American population without having to send out a mass mailing every ten years (other than the Constitutional requirement, of course).  Because some of the contacts we receive from vendors are rather creepy.

Yesterday, for example, we received a catalog from a children's party planning business.  But the catalog we got wasn't about all kids' birthday parties.  No, no.  All of the items were for parties for a one-year-old.  And, as chance would have it, we're about eight weeks from having one of those.  Whether we have a party is yet to be determined, but anyone who knows us should be well aware that it will not include chintzy, overpriced party goods bought from a mail-order catalog.

Anyway, the point is that we get mailings like this once a week, and it's kind of scary.  I mean, Babies 'R Us has our information because we buy stuff there, so we get coupons (which work—we go back for more stuff! Gah!).  And at least one of the maternity stores got us on their crapola mailing list, which we know because they misspelled Mommy's name (they left off the "h").  But we just get bombarded with these materials by mail and e-mail.  We don't spend money (and don't like creepy invasions of our vital statistics), so we just chuck things.  But I understand a little more each day how people get sucked in.  Every mailing has coupons, or free samples, or something attached to it.  Before you realize it, you're signed up for four parenting magazines that give contradictory advice, you're buying the baby three times as much formula as it needs because there are sales on different brands, and you've got first birthday party favors for your three-month-old.  Jane, stop this crazy thing!

And now I'm going to take a deep breath and enjoy every moment until Nicholas learns how to say, "I want!"

Our Little Hans Brinker

This post isn't really about Nicholas, but oh well.  Many have asked what our plans will be for next year, and we keep putting you off, because we've been waiting to hear back from places for quite a long time.

Well, the waiting is over.

I am proud to announce that both Sarah and I have accepted postdoctoral fellowships at the Grasmaand Dwaas Institute for the Humanities in Amsterdam.  We're going Dutch—just like the Pilgrims!  We'll be leaving sometime in August to take up our fellowships as of 1 September 2010 (have to start writing dates in European style!); fortunately, the Institute provides housing.

Now we just need to teach Nicholas how to enjoy tulips and windmills.  Oh, and he wears a toddler size vijf (5) in his wooden shoes, and prefers oak to ash or elm, if you were interested in picking up some for him.  But you only have five months from today, April 1st, to buy them.  Because we're moving five months from the first of April, you know, today.

UPDATE (4/1, 11:00 pm): I've added a link above to the Institute's website, in case you're having trouble figuring out what it's all about.